Bolshoi Theater Reopens With Star-Studded Celebration

MOSCOW – The curtain at Russia’s Bolshoi Theater opened for the first time in over six years Friday as the country’s beau monde gathered for the storied hall’s grand re-opening after massive restoration.

“The Bolshoi is one of our greatest national brands,” a tuxedo-clad President Dmitry Medvedev said as he welcomed guests to the invitation-only event. Politicians, billionaires, artists and officials walked the red carpet flanked by an honor guard to the building’s eight beige columns.

Inside, the specially prepared show included classics from among the Bolshoi’s standards, such as the adagio from Swan Lake, as well as opera excerpts and a video tour through the theater’s 230-year history. It opened with the chorus dressed as construction workers, whose song – ‘Glory’ from Mikhail Glinka’s opera ‘Ivan Susanin’ – gradually drowned out the sounds of drills and hammers. Even the matronly ushers who rule the Bolshoi’s hallways with an iron hand got their turn on stage for a dance.

Among the stars performing were dancers Svetlana Zakharova and Maria Alexandrova, as well as guest opera singers including France’s Natalie Dessay and Lithuanian soprano Violeta Urmana.

Bolshoi legends, including ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, sat in the prime box just to the left of the stage. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was in the third row. The two-hour show was broadcast live on Russian television and YouTube.

First built in 1776, the Bolshoi burned to the ground twice and took a bomb in World War II. It was in disastrous shape when it was closed in 2005 for renovations. Cracks yawned in the walls from the foundation to the roof. Workers rebuild the giant building’s nineteenth-century underpinnings, which had rotted away. Allegations of mismanagement and delays plagued the project, which was originally supposed to be completed in 2008. Officially, the total cost was about $700 million, but the real figure is said to be over $1 billion.

Inside the hall, no expense was spared to restore the czarist-era glory, which had suffered badly under the Soviets, who stuffed extra seats in to use the Bolshoi for party congresses. Acres of gold leaf was reapplied by hand by craftsmen from all over Russia. Tens of thousands of crystals were restored for the chandeliers and rare fabric wall-coverings lost or damaged over the years were restored or rewoven – a process that took several years. German engineers helped restore unique acoustics that made the hall one of the best sounding in the nineteenth century.

Backstage was transformed with the latest light and stage technology and a massive expansion aimed at making the Bolshoi one of the world’s most modern theaters. The changes will allow leading troupes from around the world to perform – the chorus from Italy’s La Scala comes in November.

The high technology was on display Friday night, with computer animations forming the backdrop for the opera soloists. Clouds welled around Apollo on the screen as baritone Dmitry Hvorostovsky sang Yeletsky’s aria from Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades.

The show concluded with the entire Bolshoi company parading on the stage. As the standing ovation in the hall died down, a cheer came up from the artists behind the curtain, many of whom have waited for years for the chance to perform on the storied stage.

Despite the six-year overhaul, some Bolshoi traditions remained untouched, including the legendary long lines at the coat check. Early plans for the renovation included new coatrooms, but they were cut to reduce costs.